Bible Text: James 1, 2\u20134 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Peter In\u00e4b\u00adnit | Series: Wel\u00adco\u00adme home | God always puts bur\u00addens and dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties on us. It is important that we do not sim\u00adply era\u00addi\u00adca\u00adte bur\u00addens or dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties, espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly if they cost us some\u00adthing. If we live with them and accept them, bur\u00addens and dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties can beco\u00adme a source of rich\u00adness, depth, growth and ful\u00adfilm\u00adent \u2013 yes, even happiness.<\/p>\n
A legend from the Saha\u00adra tells that an envious man saw a par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar\u00adly beau\u00adtiful young palm tree gro\u00adwing in an oasis. As he was fil\u00adled with envy of all the young, hop\u00adeful ones, he wan\u00adted to spoil the beau\u00adtiful palm tree. He took a hea\u00advy stone and pla\u00adced it in the midd\u00adle of the young crown. The young tree shook its\u00adelf, but it did not suc\u00adceed in thro\u00adwing the stone away. Then it deci\u00added to live with the bur\u00adden. It dug its roots deeper into the earth so that the bran\u00adches beca\u00adme strong enough to car\u00adry the hea\u00advy stone. Exch\u00adan\u00adge your \u00abstones\u00bb with each other and pray for each other.<\/p>\n How can I per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly prac\u00adti\u00adce resi\u00adli\u00adence? Tell each other.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bible Text: James 1, 2\u20134 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Peter In\u00e4b\u00adnit | Series: Wel\u00adco\u00adme home | God always puts bur\u00addens and dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties on us. It is important that we do not sim\u00adply eli\u00admi\u00adna\u00adte bur\u00addens or dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties, and espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly not when it cos\u00adts us some\u00adthing. If we live with them and accept them, bur\u00addens and dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties can be a\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[40],"wpfc_sermon_series":[53],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-peter-inaebnit","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-willkommen-daheim","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-2143","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"hentry","10":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nAfter years, the man came back to enjoy the cripp\u00adled tree. But he loo\u00adked for it in vain. The palm tree, by now grown to be the big\u00adgest and stron\u00adgest in the who\u00adle oasis, said to the man: \u00abI have to thank you, your bur\u00adden has made me strong!\u00bb
\nI read in James 1 ver\u00adses 2\u20134: \u00abDear brot\u00adhers, when your faith is tes\u00adted in dif\u00adfi\u00adcult situa\u00adtions, rejoice in it. For when you pro\u00adve your\u00adsel\u00adves in it, your pati\u00adence grows. And through pati\u00adence you will endu\u00adre to the end, for then your faith will reach full matu\u00adri\u00adty and be per\u00adfect, and you will lack not\u00adhing\u00bb (NL<\/span>).
\nJames wri\u00adtes that we should rejoice when our faith is tes\u00adted in dif\u00adfi\u00adcult situa\u00adtions. Hand on heart, why should I rejoice in times of dif\u00adfi\u00adcult situa\u00adtions? Should I rejoice when I lose my job? Should I rejoice when my fami\u00adly breaks up? Should I rejoice when I am sud\u00adden\u00adly struck down by an ill\u00adness and, human\u00adly spea\u00adking, the\u00adre is no pro\u00ads\u00adpect of reco\u00advery? To rejoice in such situa\u00adtions can only be done by a per\u00adson who is alre\u00ada\u00addy men\u00adtal\u00adly bent, but sure\u00adly not by a nor\u00admal per\u00adson. And yet the\u00adre is a fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal wis\u00addom in life, not only in the world, which says: A per\u00adson only beco\u00admes fit for life when he has lear\u00adned that he has to fight his way through dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties. A per\u00adson who has \u00abroas\u00adted pige\u00adons fly\u00ading in his mouth\u00bb from his youth will pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly never get any\u00adwhe\u00adre. This wis\u00addom has also pro\u00adven true time and again in the spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal realm. Mar\u00adtin Luther once said, \u00abThe worst chall\u00adenge is no chall\u00adenge at all.\u00bb Why? He meant: other\u00adwi\u00adse we beco\u00adme luke\u00adwarm and slug\u00adgish in faith, in pray\u00ader, in the stu\u00addy of the Word of God. Abo\u00adve all, the arch ene\u00admy of faith grows up in our hearts, the natu\u00adral pri\u00adde of man, who belie\u00adves that I can do ever\u00ady\u00adthing, that I can go fur\u00adther, look what I have achieved.
\nThis makes it clea\u00adrer to us why it is not good for my abili\u00adty to live, but abo\u00adve all for my faith, if ever\u00ady\u00adthing always goes smooth\u00adly. But even then the ques\u00adti\u00adon remains: If that is the case, then it is pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly best for a Chris\u00adti\u00adan life if things are some\u00adti\u00admes a litt\u00adle easier, some\u00adti\u00admes a litt\u00adle har\u00adder, a healt\u00adhy midd\u00adle mea\u00adsu\u00adre of stress, so to speak. But to rejoice when I am chal\u00adlen\u00adged? To wel\u00adco\u00adme adver\u00adsi\u00adty like a good fri\u00adend who helps me along? How can that be done?
\nFirst of all, it is very important that we know that we have to deci\u00adde again and again: \u00abI want to look to Jesus and I expect my help from Him\u00bb. The path to this decis\u00adi\u00adon is often the most dif\u00adfi\u00adcult. All too quick\u00adly, fear, distress, hel\u00adp\u00adless\u00adness, anger, unea\u00adse and hel\u00adp\u00adless\u00adness spread through the suf\u00adfe\u00adring soul. As a result, it is often dif\u00adfi\u00adcult at this time to chan\u00adge the track on which Jesus is stan\u00adding with open arms. The apost\u00adle Paul also expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced this. He wro\u00adte to the Romans in ver\u00adse 24 of chap\u00adter 7: \u00abWhat a wret\u00adched man I am! Who will deli\u00adver me from this life domi\u00adna\u00adted by sin (or dif\u00adfi\u00adcult situa\u00adtions)\u00bb. Paul is at the end, he sees no fur\u00adther in his life. But sud\u00adden\u00adly he looks fur\u00adther, looks at Jesus and says: Yes I do, it has hap\u00adpen\u00aded, through Jesus Christ our Lord. He has set me free and helps me even in times of need or dif\u00adfi\u00adcult situations.
\nWhat is resilience?
\nPsy\u00adcho\u00adlo\u00adgists have given a name to this abili\u00adty to with\u00adstand cri\u00adses and over\u00adco\u00adme set\u00adbacks, and even to grow from them: \u00abresi\u00adli\u00adence\u00bb. This is what we want to deal with today
\nI first had a look at Wiki\u00adpe\u00addia, which says: \u00abResi\u00adli\u00adence is the abili\u00adty to mas\u00adter cri\u00adses by dra\u00adwing on per\u00adso\u00adnal and soci\u00adal\u00adly media\u00adted resour\u00adces and to use them as an oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adty for deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00adment. An illus\u00adtra\u00adti\u00adve exam\u00adp\u00adle of resi\u00adli\u00adence is the abili\u00adty of a man stan\u00adding on his feet to pick hims\u00adelf up again from any situa\u00adti\u00adon\u00bb. This does not mean that one sim\u00adply takes ever\u00ady\u00adthing light\u00adly and does things as if not\u00adhing were wrong. In the cour\u00adse of their lives, peo\u00adp\u00adle get into situa\u00adtions whe\u00adre they don\u2019t know what to do, whe\u00adre they are despe\u00adra\u00adte, whe\u00adre they just don\u2019t like it any more. Then you feel as if someone had put on the hand\u00adbra\u00adke and you actual\u00adly want to dri\u00adve off, but the car does\u00adn\u2019t budge. Then it can mean that we real\u00adly have to get down. Repres\u00adsing suf\u00adfe\u00adring and pain has not\u00adhing to do with this resi\u00adli\u00adence. The ques\u00adti\u00adon, howe\u00adver, is how we deal with it so that it does\u00adn\u2019t break us. That\u2019s why in psy\u00adcho\u00adlo\u00adgy resi\u00adli\u00adence is descri\u00adbed as a person\u2019s strength to acti\u00adva\u00adte inner pro\u00adtec\u00adti\u00adve fac\u00adtors in order to get through life cri\u00adses wit\u00adhout las\u00adting impairm\u00adents and to thri\u00adve despi\u00adte adver\u00adse cir\u00adcum\u00ads\u00adtances. It is a kind of resi\u00adli\u00adence, the art of deal\u00ading con\u00ads\u00adtruc\u00adtively with set\u00adbacks \u2013 and the spe\u00adcial thing about it is that in the end we did\u00adn\u2019t just get back up again, but were even able to grow and matu\u00adre from such a situa\u00adti\u00adon. As the Afri\u00adca mis\u00adsio\u00adna\u00adry Wal\u00adter Tro\u00adbisch also said: \u00abDif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties must not sim\u00adply be era\u00addi\u00adca\u00adted, not even and all the more so if it cos\u00adts you some\u00adthing. If we live with them and accept them, dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties can beco\u00adme a source of rich\u00adness, depth, growth and ful\u00adfilm\u00adent \u2013 yes, even happiness\u00bb.
\nEight years ago, Mad\u00adlen and I also got into a very dif\u00adfi\u00adcult situa\u00adti\u00adon. Mad\u00adlen felt that some\u00adthing was wrong with her body. She went to her doc\u00adtor for a check-up. After the first visit to the doc\u00adtor, it was alre\u00ada\u00addy clear that it was serious. After fur\u00adther exami\u00adna\u00adti\u00adons, the dia\u00adgno\u00adsis was clear: can\u00adcer. At that moment, a thousand thoughts went through our heads and it was not easy for eit\u00adher of us. But one thing was clear to us: we wan\u00adted to get through this situa\u00adti\u00adon with Jesus. We imme\u00addia\u00adte\u00adly infor\u00admed the GL<\/span> of the see\u00adtal chi\u00adle so that the con\u00adgre\u00adga\u00adti\u00adon could stand behind us in pray\u00ader. A short time later Mad\u00adlen had to go into hos\u00adpi\u00adtal. I brought my wife to Aar\u00adau in the mor\u00adning. We agreed that we would talk on the pho\u00adne again in the evening. I was on duty that day until 9 pm. When I got home, I imme\u00addia\u00adte\u00adly cal\u00adled Mad\u00adlen, but I could alre\u00ada\u00addy hear in her voice that some\u00adthing was wrong. The can\u00adcer had pro\u00adgres\u00adsed so far that it would be dif\u00adfi\u00adcult to remo\u00adve ever\u00ady\u00adthing. This was bad news for us. We could hard\u00adly talk, we just cried.\u2026. I pray\u00aded with Mad\u00adlen and hoped that we would be able to cope with this situa\u00adti\u00adon. But \u2013 and now I\u2019m only tal\u00adking about me \u2013 alo\u00adne at home \u2013 from one second to the next the ground was pul\u00adled out from under my feet. I reproa\u00adched God, I real\u00adly strug\u00adg\u00adled with God. Fear of loss, doubt, aban\u00addon\u00adment and frus\u00adtra\u00adti\u00adon spread insi\u00adde me. It was a very, very dif\u00adfi\u00adcult situa\u00adti\u00adon for Mad\u00adlen and me. The next mor\u00adning, my fami\u00adly, the church and I pray\u00aded for the suc\u00adcess of the ope\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon. I could hard\u00adly con\u00adcen\u00adtra\u00adte, but I was enorm\u00adously gra\u00adteful that tho\u00adse around me and the brot\u00adhers and sis\u00adters in the faith were pray\u00ading more cle\u00adar\u00adly for us. In the after\u00adnoon, I was infor\u00admed by the doc\u00adtor that the ope\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon had gone well so far and that I could visit Mad\u00adlen in the evening. I then dro\u00adve to Aar\u00adau tog\u00ade\u00adther with Tabea, and I remem\u00adber very cle\u00adar\u00adly how I said to Tabea: I wish that I would have to rep\u00adent in dust and ashes tonight becau\u00adse of my mise\u00adra\u00adble beha\u00adviour towards God. And real\u00adly \u2013 God ans\u00adwe\u00adred pray\u00aders. The ope\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon had gone much bet\u00adter than the doc\u00adtors had assu\u00admed. Tears of gra\u00adti\u00adtu\u00adde now had room. For me, it was now time to talk to God and say thank you and apo\u00adlo\u00adgi\u00adse for my beha\u00adviour. The stone that God pla\u00adced on us was very crus\u00adhing at the begin\u00adning and unfort\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly could not be shaken off. So we deci\u00added to put our trust com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly in Jesus and to expect ever\u00ady\u00adthing from Him. Through all the ups and downs, our roots have beco\u00adme stron\u00adger and our faith firmer.
\nWhe\u00adre can I get resilience?
\nYou can\u2019t buy them in the Migros! But we can still get them.
\na) We can\/should prac\u00adti\u00adse this.
\nIt\u2019s like sport. Almost anyo\u00adne can run 100 met\u00adres, but to do it in a reasonable time requi\u00adres training.
\nIt is very hel\u00adpful if we also seek strength in faith. Various stu\u00addies have been done on peo\u00adp\u00adle in dif\u00adfi\u00adcult situa\u00adtions, e.g. after 9<\/sup>\u204411<\/sub> in New York. Some\u00adthing stood out: Peo\u00adp\u00adle who are roo\u00adted in the Chris\u00adti\u00adan faith, who are con\u00advin\u00adced that God means well with them, were able to pick them\u00adsel\u00adves up again fas\u00adter and bet\u00adter, i.e. they are more resi\u00adli\u00adent. That\u2019s why it\u2019s very valuable to regu\u00adlar\u00adly exer\u00adcise one\u2019s faith. The cur\u00adrent Pas\u00adsi\u00adon sea\u00adson can be a good oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adty to do this. Take 1% of your dai\u00adly time to read the Bible and prai\u00adse God in pray\u00ader or song. 1% is 15 minu\u00adtes a day, you can\u2019t invest 15 minu\u00adtes bet\u00adter than that! Just as we look after our bodies and exer\u00adcise or take care of our\u00adsel\u00adves, our faith needs regu\u00adlar care so that we can grow. Of cour\u00adse, this does\u00adn\u2019t hap\u00adpen over\u00adnight and it also depends very much on what kind of per\u00adso\u00adna\u00adli\u00adty type you are.
\nb) Imple\u00admen\u00adting in bad times
\nThe\u00adre are peo\u00adp\u00adle who are natu\u00adral\u00adly resi\u00adli\u00adent and get back up quick\u00adly when fate strikes. Others fall into a hole just thin\u00adking about what could hap\u00adpen. But they too can stri\u00adve for resi\u00adli\u00adence, becau\u00adse that is some\u00adthing you can learn and prac\u00adti\u00adse. Per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly, my faith in Jesus Christ is a gre\u00adat help. He has often given me ener\u00adgy in dif\u00adfi\u00adcult times. It is good to know that Jesus over\u00adca\u00adme death on Eas\u00adter. He is stron\u00adger than any\u00adthing that could knock you down. That\u2019s why the pro\u00admi\u00adse gives me gre\u00adat strength that we can come to him at any time and he will then give us new life ener\u00adgy again. What can help us: Rea\u00adding a Psalm or any other Bible text that lifts us up. The gre\u00adat clas\u00adsic is the 23rd Psalm: \u00abThe Lord is my she\u00adp\u00adherd\u00bb. How won\u00adderful it is that God knows about my situa\u00adti\u00adon and does not aban\u00addon me, but stands by me to com\u00adfort or streng\u00adthen me. The\u00adre is also the 91st Psalm, which descri\u00adbes in many images what God wants to be for me: an umbrel\u00adla that is stret\u00adched out over me and pro\u00adtects me, a strong fort\u00adress that offers me refu\u00adge, that does not waver when a storm rages. With God I can expe\u00adri\u00adence safe\u00adty, peace and secu\u00adri\u00adty. One of the most impres\u00adsi\u00adve texts on this sub\u00adject is Isai\u00adah 40:29\u201331: \u00abHe gives new strength to the wea\u00adry, he gives abun\u00addant strength to the power\u00adless. It may be that even young peo\u00adp\u00adle beco\u00adme dull and wea\u00adry and young men col\u00adlap\u00adse com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly, but tho\u00adse who wait on the Lord gain new strength. They soar upwards like eagles. They run fast wit\u00adhout tiring. They will walk and not grow wea\u00adry\u00bb (NL<\/span>).
\nThis pas\u00adsa\u00adge is burs\u00adt\u00ading with power! It does not say that we will never expe\u00adri\u00adence exhaus\u00adti\u00adon or weak\u00adne\u00adss. Yes, even boys are sup\u00adpo\u00adsed to get dull and tired \u2013 that\u2019s nor\u00admal. But this should not make us des\u00adpair. We have a choice in such a situa\u00adti\u00adon: eit\u00adher we let our\u00adsel\u00adves be drag\u00adged down or we do what is recom\u00admen\u00added here: Put our hope in God, look to him, or as it lite\u00adral\u00adly says here: wait for him, do not let go of him. Then we have various pro\u00admi\u00adses that app\u00adly to all of us when we come to him: He gives us new strength, strength in abun\u00addance (so it says here!), so that we fly upwards like an eagle, the king of the air. We can run wit\u00adhout get\u00adting tired or wea\u00adry. That is tre\u00admen\u00addous. The pre\u00adre\u00adqui\u00adsi\u00adte is that we do not look at our pro\u00adblems, but at God. Peter also expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced this, when he loo\u00adked at the waves, he sank \u2013 as soon as he loo\u00adked at Jesus and let him hold him, he got strength again. Jesus also wants to give YOU<\/span> this strength, he pulls YOU<\/span> out. Or as I read it, \u00abGod does not take away the bur\u00adden, but He streng\u00adthens the should\u00aders.\u00bb I wish you from the bot\u00adtom of my heart that you may expe\u00adri\u00adence this. It\u2019s good to know that we don\u2019t always suc\u00adceed equal\u00adly well.
\nWhen we read the Bible, we meet peo\u00adp\u00adle who went through dif\u00adfi\u00adcult times and yet did not let their heads hang down, who expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced God\u2019s clo\u00adsen\u00adess and strength pre\u00adcis\u00ade\u00adly in this and can be an exam\u00adp\u00adle to us. They loo\u00adked at faith as a sport\u00ading com\u00adpe\u00adti\u00adti\u00adon and got the neces\u00adsa\u00adry ener\u00adgy from loo\u00adking at Jesus. I have been able to learn a lot from them. This is what the wri\u00adter of the Let\u00adter to the Hebrews tells us when he wri\u00adtes about the examp\u00adles of faith: Hebrews 12:1\u20133: \u00abSin\u00adce we are sur\u00adroun\u00added by so many wit\u00adnesses who have lived a life by faith, let us lay asi\u00adde every weight that hin\u00adders us, espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly the sin in which we so easi\u00adly beco\u00adme ent\u00adan\u00adgled. Let us per\u00adse\u00adve\u00adre in the race to the end for which we are desti\u00adned. We do this by kee\u00adping our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from begin\u00adning to end. He was wil\u00adling to die the death of shame on the cross becau\u00adse he knew the joy that awai\u00adted him after\u00adwards. Now he sits at the right side of God\u2019s thro\u00adne in hea\u00adven! Remem\u00adber all that he endu\u00adred at the hands of tho\u00adse who oppo\u00adsed him, so that you may not grow wea\u00adry and give up\u00bb (NL<\/span>).
\nEspe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly in this time of Pas\u00adsi\u00adon, when we think of Jesus\u00bb suf\u00adfe\u00adring and death, he is an exam\u00adp\u00adle to me of how he dealt with it. He took it upon hims\u00adelf out of love for us and then also over\u00adca\u00adme death. That is why I come to him again and again and expe\u00adri\u00adence how he gives me strength and sere\u00adni\u00adty in cer\u00adtain situa\u00adtions. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, in con\u00adclu\u00adsi\u00adon, I speak to you his encou\u00adra\u00adging word from Matthew 11:28, which also appli\u00ades to each of you: \u00abCome to me, all you who are wea\u00adry and car\u00adry hea\u00advy bur\u00addens, and I will give you rest\u00bb. Or in other words, WELCOME<\/span> HOME<\/span>. I wish you not to see your stones pri\u00adma\u00adri\u00adly as a bur\u00adden, but as an opportunity.
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\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRead the Bible text: James 1, 2\u20134<\/p>\n